


Lifesaver

by staringatademigod



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Homelessness, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-06 21:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4237632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staringatademigod/pseuds/staringatademigod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin was cold, tired and hungry. Arthur takes him in. Gwaine and Lancelot are always at Arthur's apartment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Merlin was freezing. It was almost five in the morning and he was laying on the nasty sidewalk, trying to keep warm. It definitely wasn't working. He pulled his jacket sleeves over his hands, curling up in a tiny ball; almost like a cat.

 

He hated winter to say the least. There wasn't as much food and, of course, it was below freezing.  
The sound of boots echo through Merlin's ears before a hand rests on his shoulder, startling him. His eyes crack open, peering up through his eyelashes, only to find a pair of brown boots.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry, my friend!" Merlin coughs, beginning to sit up. "I am probably in the way...."

 

The man stretches out his arm, opening his hand for Merlin to take. "No, no, not at all. I was just... Oh, never mind." Merlin stands, shaking off his dirty clothes with a big smile. _How could a homeless man be so happy?_ "I'm Arthur."

 

"Merlin." He beams, taking in the man in front of him outfit. He was dressed in a nice pair of jeans with a red button down shirt and a brown jacket; way better than what Merlin was wearing, which was a old ripped pair of jeans, a faded blue t-shirt with a stained scarf, and shoes with holes in them. "I would shake your hand, but I don't want to get you dirty..."

 

Arthur shook his head, gripping Merlin's hand in his with a giant smile. "Don't worry, I don't mind. I'm actually heading home, just got off work, you know? Long night..." But Merlin didn't know because he didn't have a job. Or a home. "Would you like to come back to my place? I have an extra bedroom where you could stay... I mean, if you want, I just thought it would be comfortable than the sidewalk."

 

Merlin couldn't even begin to form words so he nodded, shaking a little. Arthur looked him up and down before slipping his jacket off. "Here." He places the jacket around Merlin's shoulders. "You need it more than I do. Poor thing, probably have a cold... How long have you been..." Arthur's voice trailed off as they continue walking; his arm still draped over Merlin's shoulders.

 

"Thank you..." He stammers, his hand gently brushing Arthur's. "I have been homeless for about five months. Can't be sure though. I'm just trying to survive..." He whispers, barely loud enough for Arthur to hear; but enough so that his heart breaks.

 

His hand runs up Merlin's arm lovingly as his blonde hair whips around. "There there, I will take care of you now..." He mumbles, pushing the door open to his apartment building. Arthur digs through his pockets, pulling out the bundle of keys as they get closer and closer to his apartment.

 

Merlin’s eyes widen when the door swings open. It is giant; the windows go all the way from the ceiling to the floor, the whole place looks so clean. “I-I don’t even want to touch anything because I am so dirt- oh! I’m probably getting the floor all muddy!” he stammers, looking up at the blond in fear. Arthur had to admit, Merlin was very attractive; all he really needed was a shower. The way Merlin looked at him, felt as if someone ripped Arthur’s heart out.

 

“No worries.” he smiles, leading the dark haired man towards the bathroom. Merlin shudders; a chill running through his body. “I’ll get you some fresh clothes… You can use the shower; I’ll make food. I don’t have a lot though because I need to go to the store but-” he pauses rambling as the man blinks a few times.

 

He gulps, stepping into the bathroom carefully, “Thank you. For everything.” The tops of his big ears turn a shade of red while Arthur sets an outfit in his arms. “Do you need me to do anything for you? If I’m staying here, I should at least-”

 

“First, shower and eat.” Arthur interrupts, nudging him in the bathroom with a smirk, his blue eyes sparkling. The man smiles, nodding, “Tomorrow we’ll talk about all that.”

 

Merlin flashes a bright smile as he scurries into the bathroom. This man was bloody gorgeous. A sigh falls out of Arthur’s mouth and he heads towards the kitchen, setting his phone on the counter. What should he make? Spaghetti? He nods his head, starting to boil the water. Thrift Shop by Macklemore starts to play from his phone, giving him a mini heartattack. Of course Gwaine would be calling now.

 

Arthur rolls his eyes, pressing ‘accept’ and ‘speaker’ while he pours the box of pasta in the pot, “What do you want Gwaine?”

 

There’s a sigh on the other end, “You know, a nice ‘hello’ would do. Anyway, Lance and I were wonderi-” A muffled voice appears and Gwaine sighs again, “Okay, I was wondering if we could come over tomorrow?”

 

Stirring the pasta, Arthur looks behind his shoulder, thinking about Merlin, “Um… I actually have company over-” Merlin enters the living room, hair dripping wet, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Arthur’s eyes widen at the almost naked man in his sight. Damn. If he wasn’t attractive, he sure is now.

 

“Arthur, do you know where my clothes are?” he asks innocently, “I am terribly sorry, I can’t seem to find them anywhere…” Arthur gulps, pointing towards the small nightstand by the bathroom door. Merlin smiles, walking over to the fresh pile of clothes, picking them up and going back into the bathroom.

 

Hopefully Gwaine didn’t hear that. “So, you gonna tell me who that was or am I gonna have to wait ‘till tomorrow?” Arthur could just imagine the smirk on his face. Fuck. He could hear the bathroom door creak open, “Lance says he sounds hot- Hey! No, you’re mine!” There they go again. Somehow Arthur always ends up in the middle of their arguments, which usually ends with a make-out session.

 

“Bye Gwaine.” Arthur hangs up, getting two bowls out of the cabinet. He smiles as Merlin rubs his eyes. The shirt he’s wearing is about three times to big for him, which, Arthur has to admit, is absolutely adorable. He places the bowl of spaghetti in front of him, along with a fork.

 

Merlin grins, making his ears turn a shade of pink. “Thank you for everything… I haven’t eaten-” he pauses, shaking his head.

 

“You’re very welcome.” Arthur says with a mouthful, “Now eat. After this, I think it’s time to go to sleep. You look like you could use some.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin meets Gwaine and Lance. They think he's absolutely adorable.

The light shines through the curtains, blinding Merlin a tad as he rolls over onto the other side of the queen sized bed. It was the softest thing he had ever laid on; he had almost forgotten how wonderful beds can be. He sits up, scratching his mess of hair with a yawn. Beds were definitely way comfier than the sidewalk. That is for sure.

Swinging his legs out, his toes curl against the plush carpet. As he adjusts his shirt, his feet carry him to the hallway. Echoes from the kitchen draw in Merlin. “Sleep well?” Arthur smirks, watching Merlin rub the sleep out of his eyes with a nod. Arthur chuckles, spreading the tomato sauce on the pizza dough. “That’s good…” he mumbles quietly.

Glancing over at the clock, Merlin’s blue eyes widen. 12:47. Arthur glances over his shoulder while sprinkling on the cheese. “Almost one.” he states with a sigh, “I was starting to wonder if you were ever gonna wake up…” Merlin laughs, carefully sliding into a stool and resting his arms on the island table, resting his head down. A smile creeps onto the blond’s face as he places the pizza in the oven.

Before Merlin can ask any questions, there’s a knock on the door, which scares him a little. A curse escapes Arthur’s mouth as he looks back at the frightened man. “Don’t worry, it’s probably my friends…” he beams, heading towards the door.

“Okay, I just…”

The door swings open, revealing two guys. “Gwaine, you should have at least called!” Arthur rolls his eyes, stepping aside to let the two in. Now Merlin was terrified. Not that he was scared in the first place; just...people. “Lance, Gwaine, this is, um, Merlin. He’s staying with me.” he mutters with a grin.

One of the guys runs over towards the raven haired boy. He has scruff and brown hair that flows; Merlin didn’t want to admit it, but he was fairly attractive. That is until he grabs Merlin’s face in his hands. “Lance, look at this cutie! He is so fucking adorable!” he turns to the other guy, still holding Merlin’s face. So this must be Gwaine… “Look at his ears; they’re so cute! Can we keep him, Lance?!” he begs, quickly glancing back.

Lance sighs, along with Arthur, running a hand across his face. Merlin was so uncomfortable. He didn’t even know who this man was! Arthur looks at the big eared man, whose face is pale white, then bites his bottom lip.

It was quite obvious that Merlin hated what Gwaine was doing, everyone could easily tell.

Well, everyone but Gwaine, of course.

“Lance… Could you please control your boyfriend?” Arthur whines, gesturing to the man poking Merlin in the face.

Lance sighs, resting a hand on his hip while clearing his throat. Gwaine stops, turning around with a slight blush. They all sit down on the couch; Merlin plopping down next to Arthur. Lance sends a smile in the raven haired boy’s direction. Impishly, he grins a little.

“Sorry about him,” he jabs a finger at the man beside him, “he tends to get a little...excited.” A chuckle comes from Arthur, causing Merlin to spare a glimpse at him. He really was beautiful in Merlin’s eyes.

Gwaine coughs as Lance continues, “Anyway, I’m Lancelot, but people call me Lance,” he places his palm on his chest, waving with the other hand. Merlin waves a little. “And this handsome devil right here is Gwaine. My boyfriend.” He slaps his shoulder, earning a glare from Gwaine, which makes Merlin laugh. “This is pretty much our second home.” Arthur snorts, getting up to check on the pizza. “You’ll probably see us here…-”

“All the time.” Arthur hollers from the kitchen and Gwaine nods.

Merlin grins, scratching behind his ear, “That’s nice to know. It would be lovely to have other people to talk to. You know, other than Arthur…” Gwaine mumbles a ‘yeah’ with a nod, placing a hand on Lance’s knee.

As Arthur sets the pizza on the coffee table, Lance grabs two slices, handing one to his boyfriend, “Yeah, I mean,” Gwaine takes a bite, “Arthur’s gonna be out all night, being the great chef he is, so, you’ll have us to keep you company.” he smiles, peering over at Lance, who took a giant bite of his slice, cheese hanging out of his mouth.

Merlin raises an eyebrow at the blond, chewing the crust, “You’re a chef?”

Arthur grins, swallowing the piece of pizza, “Yeah, I work the night shifts. You should come sometime.”

 


End file.
